A Wolf's Tale
by potato-ranger
Summary: I thought that the ending of The Wolf (The Lost Stories) was too sad, so this is an alternative. What if the Wolf saw Will as the bigger threat, and targeted him? WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE LOST STORIES! Please R&R.


**Authors Note: **If you guys have any suggestions for future fanfictions, please PM me. Also, I have trouble coming up with ideas on my own, so if you guys could describe the story-line, that would be amazing. **Remember: Keep calm and trust the cloak!**

I read The Lost Stories ages ago, and I was devastated that Tug (the original one) got crippled. So I thought that this would be a better ending to it. Also, I LOVE RANGER'S APPRENTICE! If there are any obsessed fans out there (like me), PM me so I know I'm not alone.

:)

**A Wolf's Tale**

WOLF'S POV

The wolf was a big one.

Thick, grey fur covered the many scars that criss-crossed the wolf's body, the reminders of the countless fights the wolf had fought, and won. The wolf had been apart of a pack, and was one of the higher ranking wolves, dominating over most members of the pack. He had had a good life, until recently. The wolf's life had changed after one fateful incident.

_A few days earlier…_

Body low to the ground, the wolf carefully placed one paw in front of the other, moving as silently as a shadow. Its yellow-green eyes were fixated on its prey. A small doe and its fawn. The wolf loved hunting. It lived for the kill, and today, sneaking up behind its unsuspecting prey, was no different. The wolf stopped just a few mere meters away from the deer, hidden by the thick undergrowth that littered this part of the forest, muscles trembling in anticipation.

The doe raised its head, still chewing a mouthful of green grass, ears roving around cautiously, eyes scanning the area for any hint of danger. The wolf knew that it was now or never. Letting out a snarl, it leapt, the huge muscles in its legs propelling it towards the doe. The small doe started in fear and ran away, its small fawn following behind it. The wolf's dinner had run away, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.

When the wolf had landed on the forest floor, it felt something sharp clamp onto its front left paw, tearing flesh and breaking bone. A bear trap. The wolf howled in agony, snapping at the pain in its leg with razor sharp teeth. Eventually, after what had seemed like hours, the wolf got rid of the metal trap, along with several chunks of its paw. When the wolf tried to put weight on the leg, it collapsed from underneath him, pain flaring up again. The wolf growled at its helplessness, licking the blood away from the wound. Whining in frustration and pain, the wolf slowly limped its way back to its lair, where it stayed for a long time.

Even today, the wolf still limped around, the leg never healing properly. It had found out over the past few days that it could not hunt its normal prey, not even the small and lazy rabbits that watched him as he limped past. The pack had kicked him out, not wanting a useless wolf in their pack, who would only be a hinderance in the pack's operations. So now, the wolf was alone, and starving.

There was a farm nearby, the wolf knew, and so now he headed for it, belly low to the ground and silently (as silent as a three legged animal could be) limping along. The wolf had never gone near the farm, because of the two legged creatures there. They were tall, larger than he was, and carried pointy things that could hurt him if he got too close. But now, injured and starving, the wolf had to risk it.

_A few hours later…_

The wolf had waited till it was dark until he made his move. The unsuspecting chickens weren't aware of his presence until it was too late. The wolf had enjoyed a meal of not one, but three juicy, plump chickens. And now, with its hunger satisfied, the wolf returned to its lair, leaving behind a farm now three chickens short.

WILL'S POV

Will was out scouting when a distressed farmer by the name of Jeff found him. He had told Will of the situation regarding the wolf, and how it had taken three of his chickens. Will knew that three chickens would be a major loss to a small farm, and judging by Jeff's patched clothing and worn boots, his was a small farm. So Will gathered a few supplies and immediately rushed to the farm. When he arrived there, it was getting dark, so he opted to track the animal the next day, when he could see the tracks.

_The next day…_

Will was bent over, studying the tracks the wolf had left behind. Will frowned as he studied them.

"Male, and quite large. Also, it's limping". That would explain why the wolf had decided to attack the farm, he thought. Wolves didn't attack domestic animals unless they were unable to hunt their normal prey. This would be a problem for the farmers if he didn't get rid of the wolf.

"What will you do about the wolf Ranger Will?" He asked. Will thought for a second.

"I'm going to have to kill it. The wolf is injured, and can't hunt it's normal prey, so it will keep on coming back for your chickens. That's why I must get rid of it." He explained to the distressed farmer.

Groaning slightly, Will stood up and made to mount Tug, but stopped when he saw the confusion creasing the farmers face.

"Where are you going Ranger Will? Aren't you going to stay for lunch? My wife is cooking lamb stew." Jeff said.

Will hesitated for a second, before making up his mind. It would take several hours to track the wolf, and he needed daylight for that.

"That wolf should be taken care of as soon as possible, and I'll need daylight to track it. If that wolf is going to be taken care of today, I'll have to leave now." Will saw the slightly hurt look on Jeff's face, and apologised hastily.

"I'm sorry I can't stay. I'm sure your wife is a great cook, but I really must be going.

Jeff looked a touch less crestfallen, and shooed Will away.

"Well then what are you waiting for Ranger. Good luck!" He said, disappointment still lacing his voice.

Will nudged Tug and he obediently trotted towards the forest. When Jeff was out of earshot, Will's stomach rumbled.

"Oh man, maybe I should have stayed for lunch". Will grumbled. Tug merely tossed his head.

_You'll live._

WOLF'S POV

_Several hours later…_

He smelled them before he heard them. The wolf growled quietly and stood up in his lair, balancing awkwardly on his three working legs. Who would dare come this close to his home? The wolf sensed that they posed a danger, and instinct told him he must not let them discover his lair. So, limping awkwardly, the wolf set off into the forest, looping away from the small track he usually used to get to his home.

After several minutes of prowling, during which he had altered his course to come up ahead and beside the tracks the intruders were following. So, hidden behind a bush, the wolf waited for his prey to come to him.

The wolf saw the intruder not long after. It could smell two foreign scents, but could only see one creature, a large, four legged beast. As he watched, a smaller creature swung off the larger's back, and bent down to study something on the ground. The small creature stood up again and said something to the beast it had been riding on, a strange thing to do when tracking something as dangerous as a wolf. Especially a wolf as big as him.

Suddenly, the larger creature tensed, sniffing the air for any foreign scent or hint of danger. The wolf crouched as still as he could, muscles still trembling slightly. Then the larger creature relaxed somewhat as the smaller creature patted its nose. At first, the wolf saw the larger creature as the bigger threat, being larger and heavier than him, but then he saw the faint glint of metal coming from the smaller one. Instantly, hatred started building up inside the wolf, barely suppressible anger coursing through his veins. He recognised the same glint from the metal bear trap, that had crippled him for life, and caused him to be cast out of the pack. On top of that, two-legged creatures had hurt him, and this one was carrying metal, that had also hurt him. Instinct told the wolf to kill the large one first, but anger told him to kill the smaller one first.

Anger won. Not able to contain the faint growl that ripped through the wolf's throat, he leapt, teeth snapping for the throat of the smaller creature before him.

WILL'S POV

Will dismounted Tug, and glanced down at the tracks they had been following for the past few hours. He knelt down on one knee, tracing the outline of a canine paw print.

"Still headed north-west." Will glanced up and saw the worried expression on Tug's face. "Oh don't be such a worry wart. These tracks are nearly a day old. The wolf is way ahead of us."

Tug merely rumbled. Something didn't feel right, and instinct plus the years of Ranger training screamed at him to 'run away! there is danger here!'. Tug trusted his master, but still showed his uneasiness.

"Just settle down Tug, the wolf is nowhere near us." Will assured his horse again, patting his soft nose.

Suddenly, Tug's ears shot straight up, and he reared back in fright, neighing in terror. Will's reflexes were excellent, but still no match for Tug's, so when the wolf leapt for Will's throat, all he could do was raise his arms to protect himself. The wolf collided with Will, the impact throwing him to the ground, knocking all the air out of his lungs. While he was desperately trying to get some oxygen back into his lungs, Will became aware of a pain flaring up in his left arm, but soon forgot about it as the wolf came around for another attack. Will, lying on the ground, was unable to do anything except watch as the snapping teeth came closer, paralyzed with fear. But the wolf had forgotten about Tug.

The wolf howled in agony as Tug's rear hooves, with all the power the horse could muster crashed into its side, breaking ribs and winding the creature. As the wolf sailed through the air, landing with a thud several meters away, Will drew his saxa knife from its sheath and ran towards the wolf, shakily getting to its three good feet, only to fall to the ground as Will drove the knife straight into the creature's heart.

After howling one final time in pain and fear, the wolf's struggles stopped altogether. It was dead. Will immediately felt a wave of relief wash through him, and ran over to where Tug was standing.

"Tug! … Are you okay? Are you hurt? Please don't be hurt… oh please don't be…" Will babbled on, worried that somehow his horse had gotten injured in the brief fight. Tug tossed his head and nickered reassuringly.

_I'm fine. But you might not be._

Only then did the pain in Will's arm register to him, as the adrenaline of the fight wore off. Will looked down at the sleeve of his left arm, which was now torn and soaked in blood, and was shocked. He didn't think it was possible for a Ranger to get injured, even though he was experienced enough to know otherwise.

Tug nudged Will gently, snapping him out of the trance-like state he had fallen into. Will realised he had been staring at his arm for a long time, and now he remembered his medical training.

Grabbing his medical kit and his water canteen, Will walked over to a fallen log and sat on it, putting the supplies next to him. Tug stood nearby, close enough should something happen to his master again, but far enough to ensure that he didn't get in the way. Will soaked his torn sleeve with water from the canteen, and slowly peeled the fabric away from the wound. After flooding the wound with water, and washing away the dried blood, Will saw the wound was superficial, not deep enough to tear muscle, but enough to draw a continuous flow of blood. Will sighed with relief, then quickly cleaned and bandaged the cut, which was no more than a scratch.

He looked up at Tug, whose gaze was fixed on him.

"I'm fine Tug, no more than a scratch. It could have been worse".

_How so?_

"Well…"

_Well? I'm listening._

"The wolf could have targeted you, and… and then he could have crippled you for life or something."

_That would never happen. I'm too quick for a wolf. I wouldn't have stood there and done nothing._

Will huffed indignantly.

"Alright, alright. No need to rub it in". Will muttered as he mounted Tug, swearing he could hear Tug snickering. He wondered if he would ever get the last word with his horse.

_Probably not._

Will just sighed, wheeled Tug around and rode back the way they had just come.

END


End file.
